Patna, Sept. 9: The high court today put a cap on the financial powers of vice-chancellors and pro-vice-chancellors of the state’s universities, an issue over which the government has crossed swords with the governor who made the appointments.

The verdict implies that the fresh appointees have been turned into lame ducks with little or no power at their disposal. (See chart)

The order comes a day after the court upheld the quashing of the appointments of the vice-chancellors of Magadh and Veer Kuer Singh universities.

The Patna High Court bench of Justice S.K. Katriar and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah passed the order after hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by one Ram Tawakya Singh. The bench issued notices to the chancellor and the newly appointed vice-chancellors and pro-vice-chancellors.

The court has restrained them from making any financial expenditure except to the extent of payment of salary to regular employees and pensioners till further orders. The judges have also stopped them from making any appointment to any post. The matter has been listed for further hearing on October 24.

The petition challenged the appointments of Shambhu Nath Singh and J.P. Singh, the VC and pro-VC of Patna University, Vimal Kumar, VC of Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar Bihar University, Muzaffarpur, Ram Vinod Singh, VC of JP University, Chhapra, Arun Kumar and P.K. Verma, VC and pro-VC of BN Mandal University, Madhepura, Kumar S. Prasad Singh, pro-VC of LN Mithila University, Darbhanga, Md. Samsu Zoha and Sultana Khusud, VC and pro-VC of Maulana Mazharul Haque Arabic and Persian University, Patna, and Arvind Kumar Pandey, VC of Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University, Darbhanga, on the ground that the appointments were made without any mandatory consultation with the state government as required under the law. Some of the appointees lacked even the requisite qualification while at least one of them was facing a vigilance criminal case, the petition contended.

Additional advocate-general Lalit Kishore submitted that consultation with the state government is mandatory. He pointed out that a division bench of the court had, in a recent judgment, held that consultation was mandatory and any appointments made in violation of this was void.

The petitioner said that Ram Vinod Singh, who has been appointed VC of JP University, Chhapra, was 72-years-old, but under UGC regulations, no one above 65 years of age can be appointed to the post.

The government and the governor have been engaged in a tussle over the appointment of VCs and pro-VCs for over a year. Following the appointment of six VCs and four pro-VCs in August, HRD minister P.K. Shahi had alleged that Governor Devanand Konwar had not consulted the government. JD(U) MP Shivanand Tiwari recently asked for the withdrawal of the governor.